JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A senior at Mandarin High School is gaining attention for combining scientific research with advocacy to address gaps in pediatric cancer care.
Lidia Rak has already built an impressive résumé before graduation, conducting statistical research on cancer trends in Jacksonville, advocating before lawmakers and contributing to a $30 million Florida bill supporting local hospitals.
Rak said her journey began with a personal health challenge.
“My name is Lidia Rak. I am a senior at Mandarin High School, and I started my research project originally because I was diagnosed with an autoimmune blood condition when I was little,” she said.
Initially focused on blood disorders, Rak expanded her work into leukemia research and eventually brain tumors. Her research explored a potential link between radium levels in groundwater and pediatric brain tumor cases.
She described a turning point in her work while reviewing prior studies.
“At the end of the study, there was a sentence that said: ‘but there’s nothing that we studied for waterborne carcinogens,’” Rak said. “That was kind of my Aha! moment.”
Rak focused on identifying “cancer clusters,” or unusually high numbers of cases in a specific area not explained by population size, and investigating environmental factors that may contribute.
Her work has also taken her beyond research and into advocacy. As a 2026 National Gold Together Ambassador with the American Cancer Society, Rak has met with lawmakers at the state and federal level to push for increased funding for pediatric cancer research.
“I’ve seen how much funding adult cancers get,” she said. “We need to be setting more money aside for pediatric cancer because although it’s less common, it still happens and it affects kids their whole entire lives.”
Rak said being close in age to the children she advocates for helps her connect on a personal level.
“Even when I meet other children that are younger and went through way worse than I did, it’s just easier connecting,” she said.
Her advocacy work focuses on translating complex research into real-world impact, helping policymakers understand the need for increased research funding and patient support.
“It’s more so giving them an idea of, hey, there’s a significant amount of clusters in the Jacksonville area because of the radium in our groundwater,” Rak said.
Beyond her current efforts, Rak is also working to inspire other young people. She recently signed on to write a book about youth advocacy, aimed at helping others find a starting point.
“Go for it,” she said. “There’s going to be someone there that will support you.”
After graduation, Rak plans to study molecular biology and pursue a career as a pediatric oncologist. She also intends to continue her work with the American Cancer Society, expand her research and develop a children’s book series.
For Rak, the motivation remains clear.
“It’s not the title,” she said. “It’s what I’m going to do with that and what I’m going to change.”